Planning

Springtime, flowers, ladybugs, butterflies, the miracle of nature - this can all be folded into the most adorable party that is bright, vibrant, full of color, and can have a little dash of nature and education!  Whether you have a picnic, a tea party, or just fun outside, using your own garden as your theme, and a child's fascination with how things grow is a perfect party, particularly in late spring.  And you have unlimited options for decorations and activities!  For the creative mom with a child that brings her ladybugs and dandelions, this is absolutely the best party! 

What is your "Party Picture"? Your In the Garden Party

• This theme is inspired by springtime and the garden - flowers, fruits and vegetables, caterpillars and ladybugs…  There is no limit to the palate of colors you can work with.  Soft pastels, or bright hues, any combination works.  Start with green, green, and green, then add your flowers and wildlife!  White and yellow and pink and purple flowers, the red of a ladybug, the bright yellow of a bumble bee buzzing merrily along, and the rainbow you can find on a butterflies wings.  Any color you want you can find in created by Mother Nature.
• A fun greeting for each child and an alternative to a party at would be to weave artificial flowers together in a hoop and attach ribbons to the back for little flower wreaths for each little girl's head. 

• This theme can really be enhanced by some internet research.  You'll find the most amazing pictures to inspire your own creativity.  And there are many activities that you can do that will be fun for the children and also educational! 
• Note, if your child has a favorite character, you can inject a little into this party.  For example, tinkerbell, fairies, and strawberry shortcake would fit in just fine with a garden party!
• :  This party can be taken to the Botanical Gardens, a Butterfly House or your local park setting if it's well landscaped.  Simply find an area representing the garden environment, especially if you can go on a nature walk or have a place for the children to plant as well!

 

 

Invitations

Communicating with your Guests

There is so much potential for creativity for this theme.  Chances are you are dealing with younger girls so have fun with the "cute" element and are artsy aspects of your invitations.  Work with flowers is fun and easy.  You can press flowers for your invitation, or send your invitation with a packet of seeds or include party details on a small terra cotta pot!  Get creative with not only the flowers, but the gardening!   

• Invitations:
• Garden with us!  Send a small terra cotta pot with a packet of simple seeds to each child with a note including the party information (or you can put party info right on the pot in black sharpie!  
• Artificial Gerber Daisy:  You can select any flower you want, but to me, the Gerber Daisy is so bright and fun, and it's large enough for even little hands to carry without crushing or breaking.  Select cardstock that compliments the color daisy you have chosen and write party invitations.  Attach with pretty ribbon and voila!
• Simple cut out flower:  Create a cut out in cardstock of a flower, with a close up smiling picture of your Birthday girl cut in a circle as the "center".  Put party details on the back.  It's so simple and adorable and your child can even participate by adding glitter or tissue paper to pretty up your flower!  

 

Invitations	Thank You Notes
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Dress It Up

Usually with themes we can narrow your target down to a few obvious colors, but with the Garden, there are unlimited options!  Start with green as your foundation and then add in two or three colors as your primary colors (yellow, pink and purple??) then add little dashes of other colors that fit your palate.      Although you have so many options, if you work with a few main colors it will keep your décor looking coordinated and cohesive and prevent a sense of chaos.   If you are creating a garden indoors (great for cold winters where everyone is getting a little cabin fever!) or you are using the garden space you have when everything is in bloom, consider all of your options.  You can mix live materials with posterboard, cut outs and artificial.  Have little "surprises" everywhere, like small cut out bumblebees and butterflies on sticks in your live garden or small tissue paper butterflies hanging from fishing wire over your tablescape. 

Decorations

• Create a Garden Indoors:  If you are indoors and trying to create the feeling of a pretty garden, really layer your space.  The easiest way to do this is with balloons and crepe/construction paper.  Layer your room with green streamers, crepe paper and construction paper leaves and then float flower and ladybug/bumblebee/butterfly balloons at all different heights throughout your space.  If you are creative, you can use latex and create flowers and visitors!  Take a yellow latex balloon and attach a white petal ring around it for a daisy, or red balloons with black polka dots to represent lady bugs, etc.!  Don't forget to include your birthday girl in this!  Let her make some flowers that are "sparklicious" by adding pretty glitter and other pretty elements that will make her creations stand out.  She will not only have fun at her party but she will be proud of the creations around the space that are her own works of art! 
• Use what you have:  If you have a pretty backyard that you have landscaped, use what you have!  Add in annual and perennials to inject some extra color and then have fun with little art creations to tuck in here and there for surprises.  Consider an ice breaker activities where the girls create beautiful butterflies by taking precut poster board and coloring and embellishing - attach to simple stakes and put them throughout the garden when they are done!  Set up a picnic area or pretty table to anchor your space.   

 

Tablescapes

• Garden Party Picnic:  Nothing can be easier or more fun then setting up a picnic for your garden party!  Select a pretty blanket that matches your colors(or purchase an inexpensive sheet to cover a sturdy blanket you may already have) and lay it out.  Tack down the four corners and the center of each side so that a stray foot doesn't trip or get caught!  Select pretty place settings - note, if this is outside, paper will be difficult if you have even the slightest breeze.  Consider getting some summer plastic plates or a fun, inexpensive flower themed set!  Scatter flowers and petals around the area and put a large bunch of flowers (or a blooming potted plant) in the center.  Have little butterflies or lady bugs or bumblebees at each setting as place cards and wrap silverware with small clipped artificial flowers with wire stems.  Nothing could be easier!!! 
• Buzzy Beetle Centerpiece:  Cut a watermelon lengthwise in half and scoop out watermelon fruit out of both sides using a melon-baller.  Replace with watermelon, canteloupe and honeydew balls, strawberries etc.  (don't overfill, just come up to the edge).  Take one half and cut lengthwise again (leaving you with the original long half, and two narrow long quarters) and attach the two quarters, starting together on one end and then slightly splaying outward towards the other end (so that they touch on one end, but are about 3 - 4 inches apart at the other end).  Use wooden skewers to hold them in place.  Add a little more fruit in the exposed area so that it mounds over between the "wings".  Attach an orange at the front with a wooden skewer and use 6 bananas coming down from midway up the watermelon to arc down and touch the table (attach with skewers) as the legs.  Use two skewers with strawberries on the end as antennae and you have a colorful, edible beetle as your centerpiece!  A great dip for fresh fruit is one large jar of Marshmellow Fluff mixed (medium speed for one minute) with 1 package of light cream cheese.  You can add a dash of maraschino cherry juice for pink color and a cherry flavoring! 
• Tea Party Table:  A tea party in the garden is perfect!  Have one large table or two or three tables just your guest's size and cover with pretty cloths.  Add flowers to the tables and each chair with a pretty little sign with their name and hot glued artificial flowers all around the edges.  Attach to the chair back with ribbon.  Use tea cups and plates (if you have something dainty, all the better!) and have a small bunch of flowers at each place settings.

 

Decorations	Tablescapes
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Food/Drink

Depending on whether you go with a picnic or a tea party there are some different things you can do.  However, what works best as a base for each is sandwiches.  But they can't just be ANY sandwiches, they have to look the part (see below).  Fun finger food, fresh fruit and vegetables, and shapes reminiscent of your garden theme will all work for this party!Fo

Giant Beetle Centerpiece:  Cut a watermelon lengthwise in half and scoop out watermelon fruit out of both sides using a melon-baller.  Replace with watermelon, canteloupe and honeydew balls, strawberries etc.  (don't overfill, just come up to the edge).  Take one half and cut lengthwise again (leaving you with the original long half, and two narrow long quarters) and attach the two quarters, starting together on one end and then slightly splaying outward towards the other end (so that they touch on one end, but are about 3 - 4 inches apart at the other end).  Use wooden skewers to hold them in place.  Add a little more fruit in the exposed area so that it mounds over between the "wings".  Attach an orange at the front with a wooden skewer and use 6 bananas coming down from midway up the watermelon to arc down and touch the table (attach with skewers) as the legs.  Use two skewers with strawberries on the end as antennae and you have a colorful, edible beatle as your centerpiece!  A great dip for fresh fruit is one large jar of Marshmellow Fluff mixed (medium speed for one minute) with 1 package of light cream cheese.  You can add a dash of maraschino cherry juice for pink color and a cherry flavoring!

• The Sandwich:  Whether it's a tea party or a picnic, a sandwich is perfect for a garden theme.  It's easy, you can have different varieties to make each guest happy, and all you have to do to add the little special something is find… a cookie cutter!  If you can find one shaped like a flower, perfect!  Make your sandwiches and then use your cookie cutter to cut out the center of your sandwich.  No crusts and fun shapes turn everyday lunch material into something special!  Lay out platters with each type and garnish your plates with fun paper flowers and paper leaves. 
• Get Inspired By Honey:  When you have a theme about a garden, chances are your everyday visitor is bees!  So have a little fun with honey - it's a natural element that is a product of gardens around the world.  It's also sweet, pretty in color  and it's fun to teach children where this wondrous food comes from.  Consider making honey butter for southern style biscuits or dip apples in honey!
  • Honey comes in many forms and flavors - and as long as children are over two, it's a wonderful treat!  Consider having a "honey tasting" where children can spread different forms and flavors on a cracker and test how it tastes and describe the differences they can perceive.
• Caterpillar Kebabs:  Colorful fun fruit on a stick with chow mein noodles as "legs"!  Healthy, tasty and looks so fun!  Use grapes, ripe melon balls, banana chunks, strawberries, etc. on popsicle sticks.  Insert the noodles into sides of the softer fruit to form legs and antennae. 
• Veggies and Dip/Fruit and Dip:  To me, when I think of a garden, I think of natural products, not cheetos.  Amazingly, most kids LOVE carrots and celery and other veggies dipped in ranch dressing, so have fun with that.  Have a few of these veggies in their natural form on the platter than cut up veggies to dip.  Parents at the party will also enjoy this treat.  The same can be done for fruit and fruit dip as well. 
   

Beverages

• Lemonade:  Lemonade is the just right for a garden party.  You can mix it up a little by cutting lemonade with sprite or seven-up and garnishing with some fresh mint and sliced lemons.  Your little guests will feel like grown ups with this awesome drink!
• Iced Tea:  Living in the south, we love our "Sweet Tea".  I can never move anywhere else now!  And yes, it's caffeinated, but the kids all love it.  You can make it with decaffeinated tea to make the parents happy - although your sugar will still give the kids a lift…  Garnish with fresh mint and serve with fun straws!
• Flower Power Juice:  Okay, so I just had to come up with a silly name, but really, the intent is to select a juice that fits your color scheme.  Nowadays we can get 100% juice in virtually every flavor and every color, so select a couple.  Add some frozen berries to garnish that will make it something special and be a fun treat at the end of the drink!  Wrap a small artificial flower with wire stem around the straw or glass for each guest.

 

Food	Beverages
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Cake

• Garden Pot Dirt Cake:  This take on a trifle will leave kids loving your garden inspired treat.  Purchase  a new, clean terra cotta flower pot (8") and line it with 3 layers of saran wrap, leaving about 2 inches of saran over the rim of the pot. 
• You will need 1 package of instant chocolate pudding mix (prepared and chilled), 16-20 ounces of Oreo cookies (crushed) , 1/2 cup melted butter, gummy candy bugs and worms, 12 ounce whipped topping and 8 ounces of cream cheese.
• Separate one cup of the crushed Oreos, and pour the melted 1/2 cup of butter over the remainder.  Press this mixture into the bottom of your line flower pot.  Add some gummy worms and bugs.  Stir half of whipped topping and all of the cream cheese together then spoon on top of the cookie layer (if you want this to be brown and soil like as well, mix in some Hershey's syrup!  Next is the layer of chocolate pudding with a few more gummies and worms mixed in.  Finish off with the rest of the whipped topping, gummies, then cover with the remainder of the Oreo cookies so that the entire concoction looks like dirt in a flower pot.  Add some silk flowers and voila!  Chill and serve.
• Garden Flowers Cake:  A plain sheet cake, iced with green frosting can become something amazing!  Use white frosting with a variety of food colorings to make many colors (light pink, dark pink, yellow, orange, purple..) and a simple icing tool to create fun flowers.  Or, better yet, let your local bakery do it for you!  You can have a few simple flowers or have a cake that is completely covered! 
• Lady Bug Birthday Cake (or Beetle Cake):  Use a dome form to make your cake (any flavor cake works for this!) as well as a batch of cup cakes.  The dome cake will be the body of your lady bug and a cupcake will be the head (use remaining cupcakes for Cobweb cakes).  Tint white frosting red and frost cake and tint white frosting black for the cupcake "head".  Add small round chocolate mints or Oreo cookies as the ladybug's spots and gumdrops for eyes.  Use licorice for eyelashes, mouth and antennae.  This cake can also be any sort of Beetle as well!     

 

 

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Entertainment

Activities

• Butterfly Creations (A/C):  Have an art center set up with precut poster board or heavy card stock butterflies.  Have an array of crayons, markers, foam cut outs, embellishments, glitter, glue sticks and pipe cleaner antennae for little artists.  This is a great ice breaker because the creations can be attached to stakes or string and placed around the party space.  This allows the guests to have a party in creating the party!
• Flower T-Shirts (A/C):  Have T-shirts in every color, as well as fabric paints and pens.  For young guests, have pre-drawn the outline of a flower (or two or three) on the shirt, for older guests, let them create their own.  Have sponges in flower shapes, different colors, etc.  The guests can create their own T-shirts inspired by the garden, which is also a great favor at the end of the party!
• Flower planting:  Have pots, potting soil and a simple flower seed (talk to your garden center about what grows easily - my money is on marigolds!).  The children can decorate the pot first with sharpies and ribbons, then plant their seeds!  Cover with saran wrap and rubber bands so that parents don't end up with a mess in their car on the way home!
• An alternative to this, if you have an unplanted garden area is to purchase small seedlings that you intend to plant.  Have everything pre-tilled and ready and then let the kids design the layout and plant the flowers.  Take a picture with all of the guests in the picture and put into a fun garden inspired frame for a party favor.

• Bug Hunt:  Hide small plastic bugs (be careful of choking hazards for younger guests) throughout your party space and let your kids loose with a "jar" to fill!  
• Ladybug Discovery:  Live ladybugs can be purchased (typically they are intended for gardeners who want these cute little bugs in their gardens because they eat bad bugs that like to nibble on vegetables) and put in a ladybug "lodge" (check the internet or your local nursery).  You can have the children observe the ladybugs in their environment, even have some in baby food jars with holes in the lids for closer inspection.  Have a water soaked raisin to feed the ladybugs while they are in captivity (keep them in a cool area release them early in the morning or late in the day). 
• Caterpillar Catch:  Form the children into a line (a caterpillar) with one player as the head and another as the end - all of the other children are the body.  Tie a scarf around the child at the end of the caterpillar, leaving at least a foot of excess fabric trailing behind (tie it so that it's loose around the child's waist sot that if it's tugged hard the child won't be injured).  Each child will hold the waist of the child in front of them and the goal of the game is for the child playing the head to catch the scarf.  The caterpillar body will twist and turn but cannot break.  The child wearing the scarf should avoid being caught.  Once caught, the end becomes the head, and everyone else shifts back one spot before playing again.
• Daisy Dot Jump: (Derivative of Musical Chairs) Cut out flowers from construction paper (about 12" in diameter).  Using double sided tape, attach the flowers to the floor, forming a circle (one per child).  When the music begins, ask kids to jump from spot to spot (remove one spot as the children are jumping) and when the music stops, everyone must try to land on a spot.  Continue until everyone is out!  As children are eliminated, make it a game for them as well - cheering on the remaining kids!
• Fairy Flower Crowns (A/C):  Either precut or have the children cut flowers out of heavy cardstock and punch a whole in the center.  String them on yarn with elbow macaroni dividers.  They can add glitter or embellishments to some of the flowers and then have an adult tie the string to size for the perfect flower crown!

 

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Prizes / Favors

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